{"id":2355,"date":"2019-11-08T22:35:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=2355"},"modified":"2024-04-20T22:23:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T22:23:50","slug":"fun-facts-30-monosyllables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2019\/11\/08\/fun-facts-30-monosyllables\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #30 – Monosyllabic Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Fun<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A list of 9,123 English monosyllabic words published in 1957 includes three ten-letter words: scraunched<\/em>,\u00a0scroonched<\/em>, and\u00a0squirreled<\/em>. Other sources include words as long or longer though some are questionable on the grounds of spelling, pronunciation, archaic status, being nonstandard, a proper noun, loanword, or\u00a0nonce word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine-letter monosyllables are scratched<\/em>, screeched<\/em>, scrounged<\/em>, squelched<\/em>, straights<\/em>, and strengths<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archaic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The past tense ending -ed<\/em> and the archaic second-person singular ending -st<\/em> can be combined into -edst<\/em>. While this ending is usually pronounced as a separate syllable from the verb stem, it may be abbreviated -‘dst<\/em> to indicate elision. Examples include scratch’dst<\/em> and stretch’dst<\/em>, each of which has one syllable spelled with ten letters plus an apostrophe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nonstandard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Onomatopoeic monosyllables may be extended without limit to represent a long, drawn-out sound or utterance. For example, Yann Martel’s 1995 novel Self<\/a><\/em> includes a 45-letter Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh<\/em> and a 35-letter Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proper Nouns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some nine-letter proper names remain monosyllabic when adding a tenth letter and apostrophe to form the possessive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n